Chapter 16 Want in on This
Want in on This
Punc
Savannah’s dad didn’t answer her call, but she left a message for him. To take her mind off things, he gave her two orgasms in the shower.
While they got dressed, he said, “You should ask Cat about the boxes.”
She pulled up a pair of lounge shorts. “I’d rather wait for Dad to return my call. I’m assuming Dad is involved, and my assumptions always get me into trouble.”
“I’d call it an educated guess, babe.”
She shrugged. “Maybe, but I also don’t want Cat to think less of Dad - especially on the off-chance that knock-off crap isn’t his.”
Almost an hour later, Catalina came home to pack an overnight bag, and he was slouched on the sofa with Savannah while watching a murder mystery series on Netflix.
“Hey, y’all! I can’t remember the last time there were two cars in our garage,” Catalina said.
“You can thank Ted for that,” Savannah muttered.
Catalina opened the fridge, and he heard her gasp. “Whoa! There’s a ton of food in here. What’s the occasion?”
“There is no occasion, Cat. We went shopping, Ted was incredibly kind and decided to foot the bill,” Savannah said.
She had her head twisted toward the kitchen, and from the way she pulled against his hold, he knew she wanted to sit up further. But he liked where she was, curled into his side on the sofa. More than that, he liked what it communicated to both Savannah and her sister.
Catalina made a noise that sounded like a scoff mingled with a dry chuckle. “From the way Ted’s holding on to you, I’d say it has more to do with you being his girlfriend.”
Savannah’s spine straightened and she twisted her torso to lock eyes with her sister. “Rude, much?”
Catalina closed the fridge and wandered to the edge of the kitchen. “I wasn’t being rude, just observant.”
He leaned further back on the couch and twisted his head Cat’s direction. “There’s cookies in the pantry.”
Savannah aimed a look at him for fleeting second, then twisted back to her sister. “Don’t eat all the Milanos, Cat.”
Catalina’s eyes lit and she did an excited hop. “You got Milanos! Ted, have I told you how much I love you?”
He laughed. Through it he said, “No, you haven’t.”
Savannah aimed huge eyes at him and muttered, “Undying love.”
Catalina opened the pantry door. “Oh my God! You didn’t just get Milanos, you bought out half the cookie aisle. I call the Chessmen!”
“No way! I’m using those for banana pudding.”
Cat froze, then put her hand on her hip and turned to Savannah. “You say that every single time you have these cookies in the house. Where are the bananas if you’re making pudding? Hmm…back at the store, that’s where.”
While he fought against laughing outright, Savannah tipped her head back and groaned. “Aren’t you getting ready to spend the night at Bella’s house?”
He heard the sound of a cookie package opening.
“I am, but I’m a growing girl who needs a snack.”
Catalina sauntered back toward her room, but she stopped to tap him on the shoulder. “Thank you for the groceries, Ted. That was really nice of you. And thanks for clearing out the garage. It’s great that both of us can park there.”
“You’re welcome, Cat,” he muttered, and she went to her room.
Soon after Cat left for her friend’s house, his cell buzzed with a text message from Volt.
Be at the clubhouse by five o’clock this afternoon. It’s not an official session of church, but the officers will be there along with Turk and Yak.
Even if it wasn’t all the brothers, he was grateful they were meeting so fast.
Not having church when a problem arose was the fucking worst. He’d never forget the many miserable days of not meeting right after Savannah’s attack.
“Everything okay?” Savannah asked, shifting on the couch.
He nodded. “Yeah. I gotta go to the clubhouse in half-an-hour. You’re coming with me on the back of my bike.”
Her eyes widened. “I’ve never been on a motorcycle,” she said, her words stilted. Her expression turned serious. “I don’t even have a helmet.”
With his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her snug to his side. “In Florida, you can ride without one, but you’ll wear mine.”
“Sweet,” she whispered. In her normal voice, she said, “I should keep this to myself, but I was hella jealous when Cat told me she got to ride on your bike to go get the Buick the night of my attack.”
That struck him deep. He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her for a long moment. “Tonight’s your night, baby. Can’t wait to have you at my back, so put on some shoes, no flip-flops.”
Savannah took off his helmet with a huge smile on her face. Her brown eyes were bright and alive, while her cheeks were rosy from the ride. That beaming expression aimed his way hit him right down to the core of his being.
Done.
He’d been falling for her, but in that moment, he knew he was done falling, he was gone for her.
She did a little hop and held out his helmet to him. “That was kick-ass!”
Her excitement was contagious, and he smiled. “Glad you enjoyed the ride, sweetheart, but you’ll really love it when we can hit the Interstate.”
Her mouth formed a small ‘o’ and her eyes widened. “Ooh, I can’t wait to do that.”
He slung an arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the clubhouse.
She wrapped her arm around his waist. “Your clubhouse is much bigger than I expected.”
“Funny, it seems a little cramped sometimes.”
From the corner of his eye, he saw her giving him a confused look. “Why would you say that?”
He glanced down at her as they approached the front door. “Every brother has his own room… there’s a couple extra rooms for prospects, but when chapters from out of town come to party, yeah, space is tight.”
Inside the clubhouse, Turk and Yak sat at the bar, their eyes on Punc and Ava. Yak appeared to be biting back a smile, while Turk’s expression looked conflicted.
Savannah dropped her arm from around his waist and pulled against his hold. He held firm.
Turk swiveled on his bar stool to face them. “Volt shared that ‘shit changed’ last night.”
Punc gave a short nod. “Once we take care of Darren, she won’t need to dance.”
Turk swallowed a sip of beer. “Whether she needs to or not isn’t at issue. Maybe she wants to and like I said before, it’s up to her.”
Yak leaned forward. “Nobody likes being talked about like they aren’t here. Savannah, you’re killing it for the club. Do you want to keep dancing or are you quittin’ on us?”
Punc sighed. “Seriously? I thought we were—”
“We are,” Turk interrupted. “But this should be hashed out first.”
Savannah stepped out of his hold. “I don’t have any other way of paying if Frank still wants his money. And he’s already pointed my sister out to one of his drug buyers after I visited the police substation.”
Turk and Yak sat straighter at her words.
Then Turk exhaled an angry sigh. “Was your mom using drugs?”
Savannah shook her head. “No, or at least, not to my knowledge. My sister would have told me if she’d started using.”
Punc caught Turk’s gaze. “We think she got the money for her ex-husband. They were still on… decent terms, but we’re waiting to hear back from her dad to be certain.”
Turk narrowed his eyes. “Why would she do that for her ex-husband?” His eyes swung to Savannah. “Your sister’s a minor. I’d think he still owes child support.”
Savannah grimaced, and Punc quickly filled them in about the boxes in the garage.
Yak caught Savannah’s eyes. “Did you tell Frank about that merch? Maybe—”
“Not a chance he’ll touch it,” Turk muttered.
“How do you know?” Yak asked.
Turk glanced at Yak. “First, he wants his money. It’s bad for business if he lets that loan slide, even if her mom passed away.
Second, he doesn’t want to move that shit.
” His gaze shifted to Savannah and his eyes softened.
“And my gut says those boxes are in the garage not for safekeeping but to hide them. Counterfeit products get the attention of law enforcement, and even if I don’t know your dad, my guess is that he either felt the heat or heard the cops were lookin’ into him. ”
Savannah tilted a hand up to concede the point. “Can’t say that surprises me. Wouldn’t be the first time Dad did something shitty.”
Nora, Yak’s woman, wandered up to the bar. Punc hadn’t noticed her sitting on the other side of the common room. “This conversation seems tense.”
Yak winked at her. “Not that tense, princess. You need something?”
Nora grinned at him and nodded. “Yeah. I’m here to rescue her from the three of you.”
“Savannah doesn’t need to be rescued,” Yak said, then added, “But you and Suzy can get to know her after the other brothers get here.”
The back door opened, and Volt sauntered in followed by Cal. A moment later, the door opened again, and Blood held it while Abby bustled inside.
Volt tipped his head toward the short corridor that led to the room where they held church. “Let’s get this done. Patch should be here in another couple minutes.”
Turk aimed a pointed look between Punc and Savannah. “What’s the verdict here? Is she still on the payroll at Platinum’s?”
Yak clapped a hand on Turk’s shoulder. “Let’s discuss it with the officers, man.”
While the two of them left the bar, Punc grabbed Savannah’s hand. “I’ll be out as soon as I can. Nora, Suzy, and Abby are good people. Don’t be nervous.”
She peeked up at him with her brown eyes. “I hate to tell you this, but it’s too late for that.”
He kissed her forehead. “You’ll be fine.
Grab a beer out of the cooler behind the bar, or there might be some wine back there.
Have a drink with the women. This shouldn’t take more than an hour.
” He pulled his keys from his pocket. “On the very off-chance you don’t get along with them, you can go upstairs to my room.
It’s the third door on the left, and this key unlocks it. ”
With a stilted nod, she took the keys, and he strode out of the common room.
Punc closed the door to the meeting room and took a seat at the table next to Yak. The vibe in the room was so tense it was stifling.